Telematics authentication

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for determining the authenticity of vehicle operational data provided by telematics or other devices are provided. Vehicle performance and/or operational data may be collected and the authenticity of the data stream may be determined based on the whether the data stream includes a watermark in a predetermined location of the data stream or whether the data stream includes a data key comprising a predetermined false vehicle performance data reading. A second data recording device may also record vehicle performance and/or operational data. Both the first and second data recording devices may provide the respective vehicle performance data to a computing device. The computing device may compare the vehicle performance data from the first and second data recording devices to determine authenticity of the vehicle measurement data.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the disclosure generally relate to the authentication oftelematics data. In particular, various aspects of the disclosure relateto data watermarking and data corroboratory procedures to determine theauthenticity of vehicle performance and/or operational data provided to,and/or received from, a telematics device.

BACKGROUND

In the automotive insurance industry, there is a need for systems andmethods to protect, authenticate, and verify vehicle measurement dataassociated with telematics devices. The data provided by such deviceshas become increasingly utilized in recent years to gain powerfulinsights into the behavior of insured drivers, and ultimately, to tailorsophisticated insurance plans on a driver-by-driver basis.

Telematics devices may be used to monitor a multitude of vehicle systemsand provide end data concerning engine RPM, emissions, vehicle speed,throttle position, acceleration and braking rates, use of onboard drivercontrol systems, interior and exterior temperature, and the like.Insurance providers may be able to use such data to assess the riskassociated with any given driver and subsequently calculate anappropriate insurance premium befitting of the driver's behavior. Forexample, drivers who are shown to accelerate gradually, break gently,and change lanes smoothly might be provided with lower premiums andadditional benefits as compared to drivers who accelerate rapidly, brakeforcefully, and change lanes abruptly.

Often times, the premium discounts and rewards generated in response totelematics data indicating safe driving behavior are impactful for boththe insured driver and insurance provider. From the insured driver'sperspective, the financial incentives provide strong motivation to abideby safe driving procedures. From that of the insurance provider,encouraging and rewarding safe driving habits helps reduce thelikelihood of accidents and the potential costs of submitted claims.

The integrity of the above mentioned relationship is contingent on thelegitimacy of the telematics data provided by the telematics device. Ifthe vehicle data provided by the telematics device is adulterated in anyway, shape, or form, the justification behind providing premiumdiscounts and rewards is nullified. However, the use of intermediate“smoothing” devices in conjunction with telematics devices has becomeincreasingly prevalent. Such smoothing devices have been shown toregulate and alter the end data provided by the vehicle to thetelematics device in such a manner as to, in at least some examples,misrepresent the driving behavior of drivers. For example, smoothingdevices may be placed in an intermediary position between a vehicle dataport and the telematics device so as to modify and lessen key vehicledata such as vehicle speed, acceleration, and brake force favorably forthe driver.

In light of the above, there is a considerable need for systems andmethods to protect, authenticate, and verify vehicle measurement dataprovided by telematics devices.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosure. The summary is not anexhaustive overview of the disclosure. It is for illustrative purposesonly and is not intended to limit or constrain the detailed description.The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention ina simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description providedbelow.

Aspects of the disclosure address one or more of the issues mentionedabove by disclosing methods, computer readable storage media, software,systems and apparatuses for protecting, authenticating, and verifyingvehicle measurement and/or operational data provided by telematicsdevices. In at least some examples described herein, a telematics devicemay be used to receive a data stream comprising vehicle performanceand/or operational data. An additional device such as a mobile devicemay be used to record an additional set of vehicle performance and/oroperational data. The two sets of vehicle performance and/or operationaldata may be transmitted to a computing device and compared to determinethe authenticity of the vehicle performance and/or operational dataprovided by the telematics device.

In other aspects of the present disclosure, the computing device maydetermine the authenticity of the data stream, for example, bydetermining whether the data stream comprises a watermark. The computingdevice, upon determining that the data stream comprises the watermark,may then authenticate and verify the watermark.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the watermark may be a data codeinserted into the data stream in a predetermined location and, thecomputing device, in response to determining that the data streamcomprises the data code in the predetermined location, may furtherdetermine whether the data code matches an authenticity code. In otheraspects of the disclosure, the watermark may be a data key inserted intothe data stream in a predetermined location and, the computing device,in response to determining that the data stream comprises the data keyin the predetermined location, may further determine whether the datakey is of a predetermined type and magnitude.

The details of these and other aspects of the disclosure are set forthin the accompanying drawings and descriptions below. Other features andadvantages of aspects of the disclosure may be apparent from thedescriptions and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, claims, and drawings. The present disclosure is illustratedby way of example, and not limited by, the accompanying figures in whichlike numerals indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example operating environment in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts a vehicle performance and/or operational data managementsystem in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 depicts a telematics data authentication system in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative method of determining the authenticity ofvehicle performance and/or operational data in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative method of watermarking a data stream andverifying the authenticity of the watermark in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative method of watermark data codeidentification and verification in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative method of watermark data keyidentification and verification in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, methods,non-transitory computer-readable media, apparatuses, and systems aredisclosed for protecting, authenticating, and verifying vehiclemeasurement data provided by telematics devices.

As stated above, intermediary smoothing devices have arisen that altervehicle performance and/or operational data provided to, and receivedfrom, telematics devices. Such smoothing devices have been shown toregulate and alter the end data provided by the vehicle to thetelematics device in such a manner as to, in at least some examples,misrepresent the driving behavior of drivers. The following, inaccordance with various aspects of the disclosure, provides methods,non-transitory computer-readable media, apparatuses, and systems fordetermining the authenticity of vehicle performance and/or operationaldata provided by telematics devices through the utilization of datawatermarking and comparative data analysis procedures.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing system 100 thatmay be used according to one or more illustrative embodiments. Thecomputing system 100 is only one example of a suitable computing systemand is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use orfunctionality contained in the present disclosure. The computing system100 should not be interpreted as having any dependency or requirementrelating to any one or combination of components shown in theillustrative computing system.

The present disclosure is operational with numerous other computingsystems or configurations. Examples of computing systems, environments,and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the disclosedembodiments include, but are not limited to, personal computers (PCs),server computers, mobile or laptop devices, mobile devices, tablets,multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set-top boxes,programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframecomputers, distributed computing environments that include any of theabove systems or devices, and the like.

With reference to FIG. 1, the computing system 100 may include atelematics data authentication computing device 101 wherein theprocesses discussed herein may be implemented. The telematics dataauthentication computing device 101 may have a processor 103 forcontrolling the overall operation of the random access memory (RAM) 105,read-only memory (ROM) 107, input/output module 109, memory 115, modem127, and local area network (LAN) interface 123. Processor 103 and itsassociated components may allow the telematics data authenticationcomputing device 101 to run a series of computer readable instructionsrelated to receiving, storing, generating, calculating, identifying, andanalyzing data to protect, authenticate, and verify vehicle measurementdata provided by a telematics device. Computing system 100 may alsoinclude optical scanners (not shown). Exemplary usages include scanningand converting paper documents, such as correspondence, data, and thelike to digital files.

Telematics data authentication computing device 101 may include avariety of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media may be anyavailable media that may be accessed by telematics data authenticationcomputing device 101 and include both volatile and non-volatile media aswell as removable and non-removable media. Computer-readable media maybe implemented in any method or technology for storage of informationsuch as computer-readable instructions, data structures, programmodules, or other data. Computer-readable media include, but are notlimited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM),electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flashmemory or other memory technology, or any other medium that can be usedto store desired information that can be accessed by telematics dataauthentication computing device 101. For example, computer-readablemedia may comprise a combination of computer storage media (includingnon-transitory computer-readable media) and communication media.

RAM 105 may include one or more applications representing theapplication data stored in RAM 105 while the telematics dataauthentication computing device 101 is on and corresponding softwareapplications (e.g., software tasks) are running on the telematics dataauthentication computing device 101.

Input/output module 109 may include a sensor(s), a keypad, a touchscreen, a microphone, and/or a stylus through which a user of telematicsdata authentication computing device 101 may provide input, and may alsoinclude a speaker(s) for providing audio output and a video displaydevice for providing textual, audiovisual, and/or graphical output.

Software may be stored within memory 115 and/or storage to provideinstructions to processor 103 for enabling telematics dataauthentication computing device 101 to perform various functions. Forexample, memory 115 may store software used by the telematics dataauthentication computing device 101, such as an operation system 117,application program(s) 119, and an associated database 121. Also, someor all of the computer-executable instructions for telematics dataauthentication computing device 101 may be embodied in hardware orfirmware.

Telematics data authentication computing device 101 may operate in anetworked environment supporting connections to one or more remotecomputing devices, such as computing devices 135, 141, and 151. Thecomputing devices 141 and 151 may be personal computing devices, mobilecomputing devices, or servers that include many or all of the elementsdescribed above about the telematics data authentication computingdevice 101. The computing device 135 may be a transceiver or sensor thatincludes many or all of the elements described above about telematicsdata authentication computing device 101.

The network connections depicted in FIG. 1 include a local area network(LAN) 125 and a wide area network (WAN) 129, but may also includeanother type of network. When used in a LAN networking environment,telematics data authentication computing device (e.g. in some instancesa server) 101 may be connected to the LAN 125 through a networkinterface (e.g. LAN interface 123) or adapter in the communicationsmodule 109. When used in a WAN networking environment, the telematicsdata authentication computing device 101 may include a modem 127 orother means for establishing communications over the WAN 129, such asthe Internet 131 or another type of computer network. It will beappreciated that the network connections shown are illustrative, andother means of establishing a communications link between the computingdevices may be used. Various protocols such as TCP/IP, Ethernet, FTP,HTTP and the like may be used, and the system may be operated in aclient-server configuration to permit a user to retrieve a web page froma web-based server. Further, various conventional web browsers may beused to display and manipulate web pages.

Various aspects described herein may be embodied as a method, a dataprocessing system, or as a computer-readable medium storingcomputer-executable instructions. For example, a computer-readablemedium may store instructions to cause a processor 103 to perform stepsof methods described herein. Such a processor 103 may executecomputer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an illustrative vehicle performance and/oroperational data management system 200. Each component shown in FIG. 2may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of the two.Additionally, each component of the vehicle performance and/oroperational data management system 200 may include a computing device(or system) having some or all of the structural components describedabove for telematics data authentication computing device 101.

The vehicle performance and/or operational data management system 200shown in FIG. 2 includes a vehicle 210, such as an automobile,motorcycle, or other vehicle from which vehicle performance and/oroperational data may be generated and, ultimately, protected,authenticated, and/or verified. The vehicle 210 may include vehicleoperation sensors 211 capable of detecting, recording, and transmittingvarious vehicle performance and/or operational data. For example,sensors 211 may detect, store, and transmit data corresponding to thevehicle's speed, distances driven, rates of acceleration or braking, andspecific instances of sudden acceleration, braking, swerving, and thelike. Sensors 211 also may detect, store and transmit data received fromthe vehicle's 210 internal systems, such as impact to the body of thevehicle, air bag deployment, headlights usage, brake light operation,door opening and closing, door locking and unlocking, cruise controlusage, hazard lights usage, windshield wiper usage, horn usage, turnsignal usage, seat belt usage, phone and radio usage within the vehicle,internal decibel levels, maintenance performed on the vehicle, and otherdata collected by the vehicle's computer systems.

Additional sensors 211 may detect, store, and transmit the externaldriving conditions, for example, external temperature, rain, snow, lightlevels, and sun position for driver visibility. Sensors 211 also maydetect, store, and transmit data relating to moving violations and theobservance of traffic signals and signs by the vehicle 210. Additionalsensors 211 may detect and store data relating to the maintenance of thevehicle 210, such as the engine status, oil level, engine coolanttemperature, odometer reading, the level of fuel in the fuel tank,engine revolutions per minute (RPMs), and/or tire pressure.

The vehicle 210 also may include one or more cameras and proximitysensors 212 capable of recording additional conditions inside or outsideof the vehicle 210. Internal cameras 212 may detect conditions such asthe number of the passengers in the vehicle 210, and potential sourcesof driver distraction within the vehicle (e.g., pets, phone usage, andunsecured objects in the vehicle). External cameras and proximitysensors 212 may detect other nearby vehicles, traffic levels, roadconditions, traffic obstructions, animals, cyclists, pedestrians, andother conditions that may factor into driving trip and/or driving dataanalyses.

The operational sensors 211 and the cameras and proximity sensors 212may store data within the vehicle 210, and/or may transmit the data toone or more external computer systems (e.g., a vehicle operationcomputer system 225 and/or a driving analysis server 220). As shown inFIG. 2, the operation sensors 211, and the cameras and proximity sensors212, may be configured to transmit vehicle performance and/oroperational data to a vehicle operation computer system 225 via atelematics device 216. In other examples, one or more of the operationsensors 211 and/or the cameras and proximity sensors 212 may beconfigured to transmit vehicle performance and/or operational datadirectly without using a telematics device 216. In certain embodiments,the transmission of data by operation sensors 211 and/or cameras andproximity sensors 212 may be done in real-time and the vehicleperformance and/or operational data may be accompanied with the time atwhich the data was recorded. The operational sensors 211 and the camerasand proximity sensors 212 may be configured to encrypt the data beforetransmission. In such instances, data encryption techniques used byoperational sensors 211 and the cameras and proximity sensors 212 toencrypt the data may include SSL, Triple DES, RSA, Blowfish, Twofish,AES, or other symmetric encryption methods, asymmetric encryptionmethods, and hashing encryption methods. Additional encryption methodsmay be used.

Telematics device 216 may be a computing device containing many or allof the hardware/software components as the telematics dataauthentication computing device 101 depicted in FIG. 1. As discussedabove, the telematics device 216 may receive vehicle performance and/oroperational data from vehicle sensors 211, and proximity sensors andcameras 212, and may transmit the data to one or more external computersystems (e.g., a vehicle operation computer system 225 and/or a drivinganalysis server 220) over a wireless transmission network. Thetransmission of data by telematics device 216 to the one or moreexternal computer systems may be done in real-time, or in response to arequest event (e.g., user request, vehicle request, server request,etc.). Telematics device 216 may be configured to encrypt the datareceived from vehicle sensors 211 and proximity sensors and cameras 212before transmitting the data to the one or more external computersystems. The encryption methods used by telematics device 216 may besimilar to those described above. Additionally or alternatively,telematics device 216 may be further configured to establish a securecommunication channel and/or link with one or more external computersystems before transmitting data.

Telematics device 216 also may be configured to independently detect ordetermine additional types of data relating to real-time driving and thecondition of the vehicle 210. Telematics device 216 may be configured toencrypt such data before transmission to the one or more externalcomputer systems. In certain embodiments, the telematics device 216 maycontain sensors including accelerometers, gyroscope, compass, and thelike in addition to being integral with one or more of the vehiclesensors 211 and proximity sensors and cameras 212 discussed above.Accordingly, telematics device 216, using sensors and cameras includedtherein, may be able to independently record vehicle performance and/oroperational data in real-time and further associate the data with thetime at which the data was recorded. For example, telematics device 216may be able to record, via the accelerometer, interior vehicle decibellevels produced by a sound system in vehicle 210. Such interior vehicledecibel data may be associated with the time at which the data wasrecorded. If, for instance, the driver of the vehicle were to get intoan accident at a specific time, an accelerometer reading indicatingexcessive interior vehicle decibel levels at the time of the accidentcould serve as an indication of unsafe driving conditions at the time ofthe incident.

In other examples, the interior noise level may affect readings of anaccelerometer. Accordingly, one or more components of the system may beconfigured to identify interior noise (e.g., bass from music beingplayed) and filter out the noise in order to obtain an accurate reading.

Additionally, the telematics device 216 may be configured to collectdata regarding the number of passengers and the types of passengers(e.g. adults, children, teenagers, pets, etc.) in the vehicle 210. Thetelematics device 216 also may be configured to collect data regarding adriver's movements or the condition of a driver. For example, thetelematics device 216 may include or communicate with sensors thatmonitor a driver's movements, such as the driver's eye position and/orhead position, etc. Additionally, the telematics device 216 may collectdata regarding the physical or mental state of the driver, such asfatigue or intoxication. The condition of the driver may be determinedthrough the movements of the driver or through sensors, for example,sensors that detect the content of alcohol in the air or blood alcoholcontent of the driver, such as a breathalyzer.

The telematics device 216 also may collect information regarding thevehicle's location at different times, the driver's route choice,whether the driver follows a given route, and may classify the type oftrip (e.g., work or school commute, shopping, church, park, errands,house of friend or relation, etc.). To determine the vehicle's location,route, and other data, the telematics device 216 may include or mayreceive data from a Global Positioning System (GPS) 217, or otherlocational device. The GPS system 217 may be integrated into thetelematics device 216, or one or more other devices within the vehicle210 (e.g., a GPS navigation device, mobile telephone, or other mobileGPS-enabled device, etc.). Vehicle location data may be received by thetelematics device 216 from the GPS system 217, and then transmitted toone or more additional systems, such as the vehicle operation computersystem 225 or driving analysis server 220. The vehicle location data maybe encrypted by telematics device 216 before transmission. In otherexamples, one or more GPS systems 217 within the vehicle 210 maytransmit vehicle location data directly to the vehicle operationcomputer system 225, driving analysis server 220, or other additionalsystem.

The telematics device 216 also may store the type of the vehicle 210,for example, the make, model, trim (or sub-model), year, and/ormanufacturer engine specifications. The vehicle type may be programmedinto the telematics device 216 by a user or customer, determined byaccessing a remote computer system, such as an insurance company orfinancial institution server, or may be determined from the vehicleitself (e.g., by accessing the vehicle's 210 on-board computer systems).

In some embodiments, telematics device 216 may be able to process theabove mentioned data and perform the data decryption, authentication,and corroboratory methods described herein. Accordingly, telematicsdevice may able to independently authenticate the received data withoutsending the data to the external computing systems.

The system 200 may, in some examples, include a mobile device 214. Themobile device may include hardware and/or software configured to performfunctions similar to the telematics device 216. Accordingly, althoughthe application generally refers to telematics data provided to, andfrom, a telematics device, the system described in detail below may alsobe operable with various other types of data collected and/or receivedfrom various sources (e.g., mobile device 214). In such an instance,mobile device 214 may suffice for telematics device 216. For example,mobile device 214 may be configured to receive data from vehicleoperation sensors 211 and/or cameras and proximity sensors 212. Mobiledevice 214 may also include one or more sensors 215 configured tocollect and/or record vehicle performance data. Sensors 215 may be avariety of sensors including accelerometers, gyroscope, compass, andglobal positioning system sensors, and the like. In certain embodiments,the mobile device 214 may be configured to analyze the collected datafor authenticity (either from sensors 215 or sensors such as vehicleoperation sensors 211 and cameras/proximity sensors 212) or may beconfigured to transmit the data to an external computing device foranalysis, similar to the arrangement described herein with respect totelematics device 216.

Vehicle operation computer system 225 may be a computing device separatefrom the vehicle 210, containing some or all of the hardware/softwarecomponents as the telematics data authentication computing device 101depicted in FIG. 1. The vehicle operation computer system 225 may beconfigured to receive, store, and transmit vehicle performance and/oroperational data discussed above from vehicle 210, and similar vehicleperformance and/or operational data from one or more other vehicles 210a-n. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle operation computersystem 225 includes a vehicle operation database 227 that may beconfigured to store vehicle performance and/or operational datacollected from the vehicle operation sensors 211, proximity sensors andcameras 212, mobile device 214 and sensors 215 comprised therein,telematics devices 216, and GPS devices 217 of a plurality of vehicles.

Furthermore, vehicle operation computer system 225 may include expecteddata thresholds or expected data curves concerning vehicle 210 orvehicles 210 a-n. Such expected data thresholds or expected data curvesmay include vehicle information provided by the manufacturer of thevehicle. Such vehicle information may include expected values of enginetemperature, turbocharger RPM, or the like of stock engine vehicle parts(e.g., engine, exhaust, brakes, etc.) installed by the manufacturerduring vehicle production under certain vehicle usage conditions. Thedata thresholds or expected data curves may also be included in thedriving analysis server 220, driving analysis module 221, telematicssystem 222, record database 324, and/or data authenticity server 328 allof which are discussed in further detail below.

Data stored in the vehicle operation database 227 may be organized inany of several different manners. For example, a table in the vehicleoperation database 227 may contain all of the vehicle performance and/oroperational data for a specific vehicle 210, similar to a vehicle eventlog or vehicle driving trip log. Other tables in the vehicle operationdatabase 227 may store certain types of data for multiple vehicles. Forinstance, tables may store specific driving behaviors (e.g., drivingspeed, acceleration and braking rates, swerving, tailgating, use of seatbelts, turn signals or other vehicle controls, etc.) for multiplesvehicles 210 at specific locations, such as specific neighborhoods,roads, or intersections. Vehicle performance and/or operational data mayalso be organized by location and/or time, so that events or behaviorsof multiples vehicles 210 may be stored or grouped by time (e.g.,morning, afternoon, late night, rush hour, weekends, etc.) as well aslocation.

The system 200 also may include a driving analysis server 220,containing some or all of the hardware/software components as thetelematics data authentication computing device 101 depicted in FIG. 1.The driving analysis server 220 may include hardware, software, andnetwork components to receive vehicle performance and/or operationaldata from mobile device 214, telematics device 216, from the pluralityof vehicles 210 a-n, and/or vehicle operation computer system 225. Thedriving analysis server 220 and the vehicle operation computer system225 may be implemented as a single server/system, or may be separateservers/systems. In some examples, the driving analysis server 220 maybe a central server configured to receive vehicle operation data from aplurality of remotely located vehicle operation computer systems 225.

As shown in FIG. 2, driving analysis server 220 may include a drivinganalysis module 221 and a telematics system 222. Module 221 and system222 may be implemented in hardware and/or software configured to performa set of specific functions within the driving analysis server 220. Forexample, the driving analysis module 221 may include one or more drivinganalysis algorithms, which may be executed by one or more softwareapplications running on generic or specialized hardware within thedriving analysis server 220. The driving analysis module 221 may usevehicle performance and/or operational data received from the vehicle210 or the vehicle operation computer system 225 (e.g., vehicle locationand time data) to perform driving analyses for vehicles 210. The drivinganalysis performed may be used in various ways, including evaluation ofinsurance premiums, determining insurance discounts or incentives,determine safe driver status, and the like. Telematics system 222 andthe hardware/software components comprised therein are described infurther detail below in reference to FIGS. 4-7.

To perform driving analyses, the driving analysis server 220 mayinitiate communication with and/or retrieve data from one or morevehicles 210, mobile device 214, telematics device 216, vehicleoperation computer systems 225, and additional computer systems 231-234storing data that may be relevant to the analyses. For example, thedriving analysis server 220 may receive data to perform dataauthentication, risk factor and risk assessment value determinations,and the like, from one or more location information databases orcomputer systems 231, one or more traffic data storage systems 232, oneor more weather data storage systems 233, and one or more additionaldriving databases or computer systems 234.

Location information databases 231 may store information regarding aplurality of locations associated with vehicles 210. For example, alocation information database 231 may store tables of GPS coordinates(or other location data) for a plurality of locations, along withvarious properties or characteristics for each location. Sets of GPScoordinates may be associated with different types of locations (e.g.,schools, parks, restaurants, airports, gas stations, stores, golfcourses, residential addresses, parking lots, etc.) and/or may beassociated with specific locations (e.g., ABC Elementary School, XYZOffice Building, JKL Restaurant, etc.). Additional data may be storedregarding each specific location or set of GPS coordinates, such asvarious risk factors and risk assessment values associated with thelocation. For instance, for a first location identified by GPScoordinates, or identified by name for a specific business, activity, orproperty usage, risk data may be stored corresponding to the vehicledamage risk at the first location (e.g., accident statistics, theft andvandalism statistics, or other vehicle damage risks), vehicle parkingavailability at the first location (e.g., garage, outdoor lot, streetparking, valet, etc.), and/or data regarding previous vehicle-relatedincidents occurring at the location (e.g., insurance claims, vehiclestowing records, police reports, etc.)

Traffic databases and other traffic storage systems 232 may store datacorresponding to the amount of traffic and certain trafficcharacteristics (e.g., amount of traffic, average driving speed, trafficspeed distribution, and numbers and types of accidents, etc.) at variousspecific locations and times. Traffic databases 232 also may store imageand video data recorded by traffic cameras various specific locationsand times. Weather data storage systems 233, such as weather databases,may store weather data (e.g., rain, snow, sleet, hail, temperature,wind, road conditions, visibility, etc.) at different locations anddifferent times. One or more additional driving databases/systems 234may store additional driving data from one or more different datasources or providers which may be relevant to the data authenticationanalyses and/or driver score calculations performed by the drivinganalysis server 220. Additional driving databases/systems 234 may storedata regarding events such as road hazards and traffic accidents, downedtrees, power outages, road construction zones, school zones, and naturaldisasters that may affect the data authentication analyses and/or driverscore calculations performed by the driving analysis server 220.

Information received from location information databases 231, trafficdatabases 232, weather databases 233, and driving databases 234 may alsobe used in various other calculations and determinations withoutdeparting from the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example system that may be used to authenticatetelematics data. Although the term “telematics data” is used herein, oneor more aspects described herein may be used with data received from orcollected by various sources (e.g., sensors, computing devices, mobiledevices, etc.). Nothing in the specification should be viewed aslimiting the arrangements described herein to use with only a telematicsdevice. Each component shown in FIG. 3 may be implemented in hardware,software, or a combination of the two. Additionally, each component ofthe telematics data authentication system 300 may include a computingdevice (or system) having some or all of the structural componentsdescribed above for telematics data authentication computing device 101.

The telematics data authentication system 300 may include a vehicle 310that may be similar to and/or include one or more components describedwith respect to vehicle 210 of FIG. 2. For example, vehicle 310 mayinclude vehicle operation sensors 211 and cameras/proximity sensors 212.Vehicle 310 may be any type of vehicle whether operated by a human or acomputer such as a car, a van, a truck, a motorcycle, bus, recreationalvehicle, or the like. Vehicle 310 may further include a data recorder316 that may include one or more components of a computing device andmay include one or more components described herein with respect totelematics device 216. A mobile computing device 314 may also be locatedwithin the vehicle 310. Mobile computing device 314 may functionsimilarly to mobile device 214. Data recorder 316 and/or mobilecomputing device 314 may communicate with a telematics system 322 over anetwork 330. Telematics system 322 may include a recorded data database324, an account information database 326, and a data authenticity server328.

Vehicle 310 may include an on-board computer and/or processing system313 which monitors and controls aspects of vehicle 310. The on-boardcomputer and/or processing system 313 may receive, monitor, and transmitthe vehicle performance and/or operational data received from vehicleoperation sensors 211 and cameras/proximity sensors 212 as discussedabove. On-board computer and/processing system 313 may be able to formatthe vehicle performance and/or operational data into a data stream andoutput the data stream to data recorder 316 via the data port, Bluetoothconnection, or the like. In certain embodiments, on-board computerand/or processing system 313 may also be configured to transmitformatted data to mobile computing device 314 and/or telematics system322 in a manner similar to that of data recorder 316. The on-boardcomputer and/or processing system 313 may format the vehicle performanceand/or operational data according to aspects described herein to protectthe vehicle performance and/or operational data from modification and/orcorruption. For example, the on-board computer and/or processing system313 may encrypt and/or watermark the vehicle performance and/oroperational data before outputting the data to data recorder 312.

In instances in which data encryption techniques are implemented, theon-board computer and/or processing system 313 may be configured toencrypt the data stream before outputting the data stream to datarecorder 316. In such instances, various data encryption techniques maybe used by the on-board computer and/or processing system 313 to encryptthe data stream including SSL, Triple DES, RSA, Blowfish, Twofish, andAES, along with other symmetric encryption methods, asymmetricencryption methods, and hashing encryption methods. Additionalencryption methods may be used. The information corresponding to thedata encryption techniques may be stored in memory of on-board computerand/or processing system 313. The data encryption methods may allow forthe open transmission of the data stream from the on-board computerand/or processing system regardless of whether or not an intermediarysmoothing device is present. Alternatively, on-board computer and/orprocessing system 313 may be configured to establish a securecommunication channel and/or link before transmitting the data stream.

As stated above, vehicle operation sensors 211 and cameras/proximitysensors 212 may also be configured to encrypt data before transmittingto the on-board computer and/or processing system 313. In suchinstances, on-board computer and/or processing system 313 may furtherencrypt the data before transmission to data recorder 316.Alternatively, on-board computer and/or processing system 313 maytransmit encrypted data received from vehicle operation sensors 211 andcameras/proximity sensors 212 to data recorder 316 without furtherencrypting the data stream.

In instances in which watermarking is used to determine or aid indetermining authenticity of telematics or other data, the on-boardcomputer and/or processing system 313 may insert a watermark (e.g., datacode, data key, or the like) in a predetermined location in a datastream sent to the data recorder 316. For example, the data code may bea character, integer, sequence of characters and/or integers, Fibonaccisequence, or the like appended to the beginning, middle, or terminatingdecimal places of data. The data key may be a data type (e.g., enginetemperature, engine RPM, vehicle velocity, vehicle acceleration, appliedbrake force, and the like) and corresponding data magnitude associatedwith the data type. For example, the data key may be data indicatingrapid vehicle acceleration to 100 mph and then rapid deceleration toactual vehicle speed. Vehicle acceleration is understood to serve as anexample, but any item of vehicle performance data, alone or incombination with other types of data, recited herein can be used as wellwithout departing from the invention. The information for suchwatermarks may be stored in memory of on-board computer and/orprocessing system 316. The predetermined location may also be stored inmemory of on-board computer and/or processing system 316 and may furtherguide periodic, aperiodic, or random insertion of the watermark withinthe data stream. The location, contents, and/or form of the watermarkmay be used in determining whether the outputted vehicle performanceand/or operational data is authentic. For example, an absence of themark in the predetermined location and/or presence of an incorrectwatermark may indicate that the data has been modified and/or corruptedrendering the data inauthentic.

While not explicitly shown in FIG. 3, vehicle 310 may also include adongle having one or more sensors to collect vehicle performance and/oroperational data recording. Such a dongle may include some or all of thehardware/software components described herein with respect to datarecorder 316 and/or mobile device 314 and, accordingly, may functionsimilarly as compared to data recorder 316 and mobile device 314 (i.e.,able to record, store, and transmit vehicle performance and/oroperational). The dongle may also include plurality of sensors such as,but not limited to, an accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, and GPSsystem. The sensors included in the dongle may be used to independentlyrecord vehicle performance and/or operational data such as acceleration,speed, location, braking events, turning, and interior decibel levels.The dongle may be configured to encrypt and transmit the independentlyrecorded vehicle performance and/or operational data to one or moreexternal computer systems. Such vehicle performance and/or operationaldata recorded by the sensors in the dongle may be used to corroboratevehicle performance and/or operational data provided to data recorder316, mobile device 314, and data authentication server 318 by on-boardcomputer and/or processing system 313. For example, through utilizationof the accelerometer, the dongle may be able to record data concerningvehicle acceleration. Such data may be compared to the acceleration dataprovided by on-board computer and/or processing system 313. If there arediscrepancies between the data provided by the dongle and on-boardcomputer and/or processing system 313, there may be an indication ofinauthentic vehicle data (e.g., modified data) being provided byon-board computer and/or processing system 313.

Data recorder 316 may receive vehicle performance and/or operationaldata in the form of a data stream from on-board computer and/orprocessing system 313 via a data port, Bluetooth interface, or anycomparable communication interface of the vehicle 310. For example, datarecorder 316 may be connected to the port of the vehicle 310. The portmay be an on-board diagnostic (OBD) device connector. Data recorder 316may include an OBD device adapter and a memory to store data outputtedby the on-board computer and/or processing system 313 via the data port,Bluetooth, or any comparable communication interface of vehicle 310. Incertain embodiments, mobile computing device 314 may perform as datarecorder 316.

Data recorder 316 may also include sensors such as, but not limited, anaccelerometer, compass, gyroscope, and GPS system. Data recorder 316 maybe configured to encrypt the data received from such devices accordingto the encryption methods described herein. Data recorder 316 mayinclude antennas to communicate with other devices wirelessly. Forexample, data recorder 316 may communicate with telematics system 322over a wide area network (WAN), cellular network, Wi-Fi network, etc.Data recorder 316 may also communicate with mobile computing device 314via a wireless connection such as a Wi-Fi connection or Bluetoothconnection. In certain embodiments, data recorder 316 may be configuredto establish a secure communication link and/or channel with mobilecomputing device 314 and/or telematics system 322.

In some arrangements described in further detail below, data recorder316 may be a telematics application operating on mobile computing device314 and may utilize hardware components comprised therein (e.g., memory,processors, communication hardware, etc.) to receive, store, andtransmit vehicle performance and/or operational data outputted by theon-board computer and/or processing system 313. In such an arrangement,data recorder 316 may also utilize sensors included within mobilecomputing device 314.

In some embodiments, data recorder 316 may store in memory a vehicleidentification number (VIN) of a vehicle 310 associated with aninsurance policy of an insured driver to corroborate vehicle performanceand/or operational data. The VIN associated with vehicle 310 may also bestored in memory comprised on-board computer and/or processing system313. Upon registration and commencement of an insurance policy, a VINassociated with vehicle 310 may be entered and stored in memory of datarecorder 316. During operation of vehicle 310, the on-board computerand/or processing system 313 may attach the VIN of vehicle 310 to thedata stream comprising the vehicle performance and/or operational data.On-board computer and/or processing system 313 may output the datastream comprising the VIN and vehicle performance and/or operationaldata to data recorder 316. Data recorder 316 may corroborate the VINreceived in the data stream from on-board computer and/or processingsystem 316 to the VIN stored in memory. In doing so, data recorder 316may determine whether or not it is operating in the vehicle associatedwith the insurance policy of the insured driver.

The vehicle performance and/or operational data may be collected withappropriate permissions (e.g., from the driver, vehicle owner, etc.) andmay include operational data from an industry standard port such as aSAE-1962 connector, or an on board diagnostic (“OBD”) port or othervehicle data acquiring component. For example, operation data accessiblevia the OBDII port includes speed and engine throttle position or othervariable power controls of the vehicle power source. It may also includeso called “extended OBDII” or OBDIII datasets that are specific to eachmanufacturer and also available with manufacturer permission such asodometer reading, seat belt status, activation of brakes, degree andduration of steering direction, etc., and implementation of accidentavoidance devices such as turning signals, headlights, seatbelts,activation of automated braking systems (ABS), etc. Other informationregarding the operation of the vehicle may be collected such as, but notlimited to, interior and exterior vehicle temperature, windowdisplacement, exterior vehicle barometric pressure, exhaust pressure,vehicle emissions, turbo blower pressure, turbo charger RPM, vehicle GPSlocation, etc. The system may recognize or be configured to recognize aparticular language emitted by the vehicle system and may configure therecording component to receive or convert data in SAE J1850, ISO IS09141or KWP 2000 formats. Accordingly, U.S. and/or international OBDstandards may be accommodated. For instance, data may be collected froma variety of U.S. and/or international port types to permit use in avariety of locations. Alternatively, this step may be performed by aprocessor after the data is recorded.

Mobile computing device 314 may be, for example, a personal computer(PC), hand-held or laptop device, mobile device, tablet, multiprocessorsystem, microprocessor-based system, on-board vehicle computing device,telematics device, or the like. Mobile computing device 314 may includevarious sensors including an accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, and/orGPS system, and the like. The sensors may be used to record dataincluding, but not limited to, vehicle acceleration, speed, location,braking events, interior vehicle decibel levels, turning, and the like.Mobile computing device 314 may be configured to encrypt the datarecorded by such sensors according to the data encryption techniquesdescribed herein.

Mobile computing device 314 may include a memory storing a telematicsapplication and a processor to execute applications. The telematicsapplication may be downloaded or otherwise provided to the mobilecomputing device 314 and may be used to collect data from on-boardcomputer and/or processing system 313 of vehicle 310. The telematicsapplication may also use the sensors of mobile computing device 314 tocollect data on acceleration, speed, location, braking events, interiorvehicle decibel levels, turning, and/or route of vehicle 310 independentfrom vehicle performance and/or operational data provided by on-boardcomputer and/or processing system 313.

Telematics system 322 may include one or more computing devices such asdatabases and servers. The databases and servers may be, for example, arecorded data database 324, an account information database 326, and adata authenticity server 328. Data recorder 316, mobile computing device314, and/or on-board computer and/or processing system 313 cancommunicate with telematics system 322 over a network 330 such asinternet 131, cellular network, wireless network, or Wi-Fi network, orother network. Recorded data database 324 may store recorded datareceived from data recorder 316, mobile computing device 314, and/oron-board computer and/or processing system 313. The recorded data storedin recorded database 324 may include some or all of vehicle performanceand/or operational data collected by, and received from, on-boardcomputer and/or processing system 313, mobile computing device 314, datarecorder 316, and the like. Account information database 326 may includeinformation related to an account of a user associated with datarecorder 316 and/or vehicle 310. For example, account information of theuser may include name, address, serial number or other identifier ofdata recorder 316, and the like.

Data authenticity server 328 may be a computing device that processes oris configured to process data gathered by data recorder 316, mobilecomputing device 314, and/or on-board computer and/or processing system313 to determine authenticity of the gathered data, for example,according to aspects described with respect to FIGS. 4-7. In oneembodiment, data authenticity server 328 may be configured to comparevehicle performance and/or operational data received from data recorder316 and mobile computing device 314 over time periods in which the datawas recorded. Through the data comparison, data authenticity server 328may be able to verify or authenticate the vehicle performance and/oroperational data provided by data recorder 316 and mobile computingdevice 314.

In other embodiments, data authenticity server 328 may also comprisememory in which authenticity codes used in determining the authenticityof the gathered data are stored. The authenticity code may be a codesimilar to (e.g., having a same or similar format, or the like) the datacode used by on-board computer and/or processing system 313 to watermarkthe data stream. Data authenticity server 328 may pre-store theauthenticity code in advance of collection of the vehicle operationaland/or performance data. Further, the data authenticity server 328 mayalso store information associated with the predetermined location usedby on-board computer and/or processing system 313 to insert the datacode into the known location. Through observing the presence of the datacode in the predetermined location, as well as determining thecorrelation between the data and the authenticity code, dataauthenticity server 328 may be able to verify or authenticate thevehicle performance and/or operational data provided by data recorder316 and mobile computing device 314.

In some instances, data authenticity server may store informationassociated with the data key inserted into the data stream by on-boardcomputer and/or processing system 313. For example, data authenticityserver may store a plurality of data types (e.g., engine temperature,engine RPM, vehicle velocity, vehicle acceleration, applied brake force,and the like) and corresponding data magnitudes associated with the datatypes. Data authenticity server 328 may also store informationassociated with the predetermined location used by on-board computerand/or processing system 313 to insert the data key into the knownlocation. The data authenticity server 328 may be able to determine theauthenticity of vehicle performance and/or operational data provided bydata recorder 316 and mobile computing device 314 by determining thepresence of the data key in the predetermined location and matching theaccompanying data magnitude and type with the stored data magnitude andtype.

In other examples mentioned above, data authenticity server 328 may alsostore information related to expected data thresholds and expected datacurves. Such vehicle information may include expected values of enginetemperature, turbocharger RPM, or the like of stock engine vehicle parts(e.g., engine, exhaust, brakes, etc.) installed by the manufacturerduring vehicle production under certain vehicle usage conditions and maybe used to corroborate vehicle performance and/or operational datareceived from data recorder 316, mobile device 314 or on-board computerand/or processing system 313.

In certain embodiments, the data authenticity server 328 may corroboratedata provided by data recorder 316, mobile device 314, and on-boardcomputer and/or processing system 313 through the utilization andextrapolation of complementary data readings provided by the respectivedevices. For example, data authenticity server may utilize andextrapolate the exhaust pressure and engine temperature to corroboratedata corresponding to engine RPM and vehicle acceleration. For instance,if the exhaust pressure and engine temperature are known through theexpected data thresholds and expected data curves to correlate with acertain engine RPM and vehicle acceleration and the actual engine RPMand acceleration deviate substantially from the expected values, therecould be an indication of inauthentic data and/or high-end aftermarketperformance part modifications.

In other embodiments, data authenticity server 328 may store in memoryencryption/decryption keys necessary to decrypt encrypted data streams.For example, data authenticity server 328 may store the appropriate keyassociated with the encryption method used by the dongle, data recorder316, mobile computer device 314, on-board computer and/or processingsystem 313 and/or vehicle operation sensors 211 and cameras/proximitysensors 212. As stated above, encryption methods may include SSL, TripleDES, RSA, Blowfish, Twofish, and AES, along with other symmetricencryption methods, asymmetric encryption methods, and hashingencryption methods. Alternatively, other encryption methods may be usedand accompanying encryption/decryption keys may be used.

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative method of determining the authenticity ofdata, such as performance and/or operational data associated with avehicle according to aspects described herein. At step 402, a dataconnection may be established between on-board computer and/orprocessing system 313 of vehicle 310 and a first data recording devicesuch as data recorder 316. The data connection between on-board computerand/or processing system 313 and the first data recording device may bewired (e.g., via data port) and/or wireless (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, orthe like). Additionally, the data connection established betweenon-board computer and/or processing system 313 and the first datarecorder may be a secure communication channel and/or link.

At step 404, the on-board computer and/or processing system 313 mayinitiate data recording by a second data recording device (e.g., mobilecomputing device 314, dongle, etc.). In some arrangements, this step maybe performed upon starting the vehicle 310. Alternatively, datarecording by the second data recording device may be triggered at arandom time during a time interval coinciding with the starting andstopping (i.e., engine ignition and cutoff) of vehicle 310. In someinstances, data recording may be initiated at a defined intervalcoinciding with the starting and stopping of vehicle 310 (i.e., 1 minuteafter the engine is started until the engine is cutoff, 5 minutes afterthe engine is started until the engine is cutoff, and the like). Inother instances, data recording of the second data recording device maybe triggered by a remote request from one of the first data recordingdevice, on-board computer and/or processing system 313, dataauthenticity server 328, and the like. Additionally, in embodiments inwhich the second data recording device is mobile computing device 314,data recording may be triggered upon mobile computing device 314receiving a text message, phone call, and/or push notification from anapplication (e.g., Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and the like) operatingon mobile computing device 314. In other arrangements, data recordingmay be initiated after data communication has been established betweenon-board computer and/or processing system 313 and the first datarecording device.

As stated above, mobile computing device 314 may contain a variety ofsensors including accelerometers, gyroscope, compass, and globalpositioning system (GPS) sensors. Using the sensors, mobile computingdevice 314 may detect and record the vehicle operational informationand/or performance data of vehicle 310. The vehicle operationalinformation and/or performance data may be recorded over a first timeperiod and the data may be linked to, or demarcated by, the first timeperiod. For example, the second data recording device may also recordacceleration, speed, braking events, turning, or the like of vehicle 310collected during the first time period and may further associate thedata with the first time period at which the data was recorded.

At step 406, on-board computer and/or processing system 313 may prepareraw data including first vehicle operational information and/orperformance data received from vehicle operation sensors 211 andcameras/proximity sensors 212 for output to, for example, data recorder316. The raw data may include vehicle operational information and/orperformance data which may comprise engine temperature, engine RPM,vehicle velocity, vehicle acceleration, applied brake force, interiorvehicle temperature, exterior vehicle temperature, window displacement,exterior vehicle barometric pressure, exhaust pressure, vehicleemissions, turbo blower pressure, turbo charger RPM, vehicle GPSlocation, and the like. The vehicle operational information and/orperformance data may be further associated with the time period at whichthe data was recorded. In some instances, the raw data received byon-board computer and/or processing system 313 from vehicle operationsensors 211 and cameras/proximity sensors 212 may be encrypted accordingto the encryption techniques described herein. The preparation of rawdata by on-board computer and/or processing system 313 may includeprocessing operational and/or performance signals from sensors ofvehicle 310 into raw data, determining the amount of raw data called forby, for example, data recorder 316 in accordance with the type ofvehicle 310, driver rating, type of insurance policy, etc., determiningthe communication interface (e.g., data port, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or thelike) through which to send the raw data to, for example, data recorder316, and formatting the raw data into a transmittable data stream.

On-board computer and/or processing system 313 may format the datastream to protect the authenticity of the data comprised therein. Forexample, on-board computer and/or processing system 313 may protect thedata stream by using watermarking and/or encryption techniques discussedherein. As stated above, watermarking and/or encrypting the data streammay protect the data from being modified and/or may provide the abilityto detect modification and/or corruption of the data. The watermark(e.g., data code, data key, or the like) may be inserted periodically,aperiodically, or randomly. The location, contents, and/or form of thewatermark may be used in determining whether the data stream isauthentic. For example, the data recorder 316, mobile computing device314, and/or data authenticity server 328 may determine the presence orabsence of the watermark in assessing the authenticity of the data whenreceiving the data stream from on-board computer and/or processingsystem 313. For example, an absence of the watermark in thepredetermined location and/or presence of an incorrect watermark mayindicate that the data has been modified and/or corrupted rendering thedata inauthentic, as will be discussed more fully herein.

On-board computer and/or processing system 313 may encrypt the datastream and/or insert a watermark (e.g., data code, data key, or thelike) into the data stream before outputting the data stream to datarecorder 316 and/or mobile computing device 314. In some embodiments,on-board computer and/or processing system 313 may inset both the datacode and data key into the data stream. Both the watermark andpredetermined data key may be stored within memory of on-board computerand/or processing system 316.

At step 408, on-board computer and/or processing system 316 may outputthe data stream to the first data recording device (e.g., data recorder312). At step 410, the first data recording device may output the datastream to data authenticity server 328. At both steps 408 and 410, asecure communication channel and/or link may be established beforeoutputting the data stream. At step 412, data authenticity server 328may determine whether the received data stream is authentic. Forexample, the received data stream may be evaluated by data authenticityserver 328 to determine whether a watermark is comprised therein in thepredetermined location. Upon determining whether the watermark isincluded within the data stream in the predetermined location, thewatermark may be compared with an authenticity code and/or informationassociated with the data key stored in memory of data authenticityserver 328. In some instances, the first data recording device maydetermine the authenticity of the data stream received from on-boardcomputer and/or processing system 316. In such instances, the first datarecording device may be configured to perform similar data authenticitydetermination measures as described herein in regards to dataauthenticity server 328. Alternatively, at step 410, the first datarecording device may output the data stream to the second data recordingdevice, telematics system 322, or the like, and the data authenticitymeasures may be performed by the device receiving the data stream fromthe first data recording device.

If data authenticity server 328 determines that the data stream isinauthentic in step 412, data authenticity server 328 may mark or flagthe collected data as inauthentic in step 420.

If data authenticity server 328 determines that the data stream isauthentic in step 412, at step 414, the second data recording device mayoutput the second vehicle operational information and/or performancedata (e.g., collected during the first time period) to data authenticityserver 328. In another example, the second data recording device maycontinuously output the second vehicle operational information and/orperformance data to data authenticity server 328 and upon determiningthe authenticity of the data stream, the data authenticity server 328may proceed to step 416, bypassing step 414. The second data recordingdevice may establish a secure communication channel and/or link beforeoutputting the second vehicle operational information and/or performancedata.

At step 416, the data authenticity server 328 may compare the secondvehicle operational information and/or performance data collected overthe first time period and received from the second data recording deviceto the first vehicle operational information and/or performance datacollected over the first time period and received from the first datarecording device. For example, the data authenticity server 328 maycompare vehicle operational information and/or performance dataconcerning acceleration, speed, location, braking events, turning, andthe like of vehicle 310 received from the first and second datarecording devices. The vehicle performance and/or operational dataprovided by the first and second data recording devices and collectedduring the first time period may be compared. Upon comparison, at step418, the data authenticity server 328 system may determine whether thevehicle data recorded by the first data recording device is accurate orauthentic based on the comparison. Stated differently, if the secondvehicle operational information and/or performance data corroborates(e.g., is within a predetermined threshold of) the first vehicleoperational information and performance data, the data may be deemedauthentic, as is discussed more fully herein.

In another example, vehicle information recorded by the first datarecording device may be compared against expected data thresholds orexpected data curves to corroborate the vehicle information recorded byfirst data recording device. For example, expected data thresholds andexpected data curves may include vehicle information provided by themanufacturer of the vehicle. Such vehicle information may include enginetemperature, turbocharger RPM, or the like of stock engine vehicle partsprovided by the manufacturer upon vehicle production. If there aredifferences identified between expected data and actual data receivedfrom the different vehicle components, the difference may be anindication of inauthentic data or performance part modifications to thevehicle 310.

In some embodiments, certain vehicle performance and/or operational datarecorded by the first data recording device may be compared againstcomplimentary data also recorded by the first data recording device. Asdescribed above, data authenticity server 328 may utilize andextrapolate the exhaust pressure and engine temperature to corroboratedata corresponding to engine RPM and vehicle acceleration. For instance,if the exhaust pressure and engine temperature are known through theexpected data thresholds and expected data curves to correlate with acertain engine RPM and vehicle acceleration and the actual engine RPMand acceleration deviate substantially from the expected values, therecould be an indication of inauthentic data and/or high-end aftermarketperformance part modifications. In some examples, the complimentary datacorroboratory procedures described herein may be performed in regards tothe data recorded by the second data recording device.

If the data authenticity server 328 determines at step 418 that thevehicle data is authentic (i.e., the data provided by the first datarecording device is substantially similar to (e.g., within apredetermined threshold range of) the data provided by the second datarecording device), the data authenticity server 328 can indicate or markthe collected data as authentic at step 423. If the data authenticityserver 328 determines at step 418 that the collected data is inaccurateor inauthentic (i.e., the data provided by the first data recordingdevice is not substantially similar to the data provided the second datarecording device), the data authenticity server 328 can indicate or markthe collected data as inauthentic at step 422.

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative method of watermarking a data streamaccording to aspects described herein. At step 502, on-board computerand/or processing system 313 system located on the vehicle 310 mayreceive raw sensor data including vehicle operational information and/orperformance data. The raw data may be collected from various sensorsand/or devices on the vehicle 310 and further associated with a timeperiod in which the data was recorded. The raw data may be collected inresponse to a request from the first data recording device (e.g., datarecorder 316) for vehicle information, or may be collected in real-timeby on-board computer and/or processing system 313. In other embodiments,the raw data may be collected in response to a request from dataauthenticity server 328, or mobile device 314.

At step 504, the on-board computer and/or processing system 313 mayinsert a watermark at one or more predetermined locations in the datastream. The watermark may be inserted periodically, aperiodically, orrandomly. In certain embodiments, the watermark may include a data codeor data key. In other embodiments, the watermark may include both thedata code and data key.

At step 506, on-board computer and/or processing system 313 may outputthe watermarked data stream to the first data recording device via thedata port, Bluetooth interface, or any comparable communicationinterface of the vehicle 310. A step 508, the first data recordingdevice may output the data stream to the data authenticity server 328.

At step 510, data authenticity server 328 may evaluate the data streamto determine whether a watermark has been inserted into the data streamat the predetermined location. If the watermark (e.g., data code, datakey, or the like) has not been inserted into the data stream, or hasbeen inserted into an incorrect portion of the data stream inconsistentwith the predetermined location, the data authenticity server 328 mayflag the data stream as being inauthentic in step 514. If the watermarkhas been determined to be present in the data stream and at thepredetermined location in step 510, then data authenticity server 328may determine whether the data code and/or data key is an authentic datacode and/or data key at step 512. If the data code and/or data key aredetermined to be authentic, they may be marked as authentic at step 516.If the data code and/or data key are determined to be inauthentic, thendata authenticity server 328 may proceed to step 514 and flag thecollected data as inauthentic.

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative method of watermark data codeidentification and verification according to aspects described herein.At step 602, a computing device such as data authenticity server 328 mayreceive a data stream from on-board computer and/or processing system313, data recorder 316, or mobile device 314. The data stream mayinclude a first portion of vehicle data such as vehicle performanceand/or operational data. The first portion of vehicle data may beassociated with a first time period in which the data was recorded.

After receiving the data stream, at step 604, the computing device maydetermine whether the data stream includes a data code in apredetermined location. As discussed above, the computing device mayhave memory wherein information associated with the predeterminedlocation is stored. If the computing device determines that data streamdoes not contain the data code in the predetermined location, or thatthe data stream contains the data code in an incorrect location, thecomputing device may mark the data stream as inauthentic at step 606. Inat least some examples, this may cause the data within the data streamto be deemed inauthentic as well.

If the computing device determines that the data stream contains thedata code in the predetermined location, at step 608, the computingdevice may determine whether the data code matches an authenticity code.As stated above, the authenticity code may be a data code stored (e.g.,pre-stored) in advance of collection of the vehicle operational and/orperformance data. If the computing device determines that the data codedoes not match the authenticity code, in step 610 the computing devicemay mark the data as inauthentic. If the computing device determinesthat the data code does match the authenticity code, in step 612 thecomputing device may mark the data as authentic.

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative method of watermark data codeidentification and verification according to aspects described herein.At step 702, a computing device such as data authenticity server 328 mayreceive a data stream from on-board computer and/or processing system313, data recorder 316, or mobile device 314. The data stream mayinclude a first portion of vehicle data such as vehicle performanceand/or operational data.

After receiving the data stream, at step 704, the computing device maydetermine whether the data stream includes a data key in a predeterminedlocation. As stated above, the computing device may have memory whereininformation associated with the predetermined location is stored. If thecomputing device determines that the data stream does not contain thedata key in the predetermined location, or that the data stream containsthe data key in an incorrect location, the computing device may mark thedata stream as inauthentic in step 706. In at least some examples, thismay cause the system to deem the data contained within the data steam asinauthentic as well.

If the computing device determines that the data stream contains thedata key in the predetermined location, at step 708, the computingdevice may determine whether the data key is of a certain data type andmagnitude. As stated above, the data types and magnitudes associatedwith the data key may be stored in memory of the computing device. Ifthe computing device determines that the data key is not of a certaindata type and magnitude, in step 710 the computing device may mark thedata as inauthentic. If the computing device determines that the datakey is of a certain data type and magnitude, in step 712 the computingdevice may mark the data as authentic.

Steps of the FIGS. 4-7 may be added, omitted, rearranged, and/ormodified without departing from the invention.

Upon determining that data is authentic (e.g., using any of thearrangements discussed herein), the system may determine one or moreincentives (e.g., insurance incentives), discounts, rebates, driverscores, etc. for the user based on the data. That is, authentic drivingdata may be important in ensuring that a driver is being accuratelyevaluated.

As discussed herein, the systems and arrangements described herein mayaid in identifying telematics or other vehicle operational data that hasbeen tampered with or modified (e.g., without authorization to do so).Such arrangements may aid in ensuring that data being collected isauthentic and, accordingly, providing insurance incentives, driverratings, premium discounts, and the like, based on accurate information.The arrangements described herein include various techniques, such asinserting a watermark into a data stream in a predefined location,corroborating data using multiple data recording devices, and the like.In some examples, the system may also require a data collection device(e.g., a telematics device) having a data encryption key matching thatof the vehicle (or corresponding to that of the vehicle). Thisencryption key may then be used to encrypt data passing from the vehicleto the device in order to secure the data. In some examples, only anauthentic device may be able to read or decrypt the data.

The foregoing descriptions of the disclosure have been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. They are not exhaustive and donot limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Modificationsand variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may beacquired from practicing of the disclosure. For example, where thedescribed implementation includes software, it should be understood thata combination of hardware and software or hardware alone may be used invarious other embodiments. Additionally, although aspects of the presentdisclosure are described as being stored in memory, one skilled in theart will appreciate that these aspects can also be stored on other typesof computer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like harddisks, floppy disks, or CD-ROM; a carrier wave from the Internet orother propagation medium; or other forms of RAM or ROM.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a dataauthenticity server and from a telematics device in a vehicle, a datastream including first vehicle performance data, wherein the firstvehicle performance data is recorded by the telematics device over afirst period of time; receiving, by the data authenticity server andfrom one or more sensors of a mobile device of a user of the vehicle,second vehicle performance data, wherein the second vehicle performancedata is recorded by the mobile device during the first period of time ofthe first vehicle performance data; comparing, by the data authenticityserver, the first vehicle performance data and the second vehicleperformance data over the first period of time; determining, by the dataauthenticity server and based on the comparing, whether the secondvehicle performance data corroborates the first vehicle performancedata; and responsive to determining that the second vehicle performancedata corroborates the first vehicle performance data, determining, bythe data authenticity server, that the first vehicle performance data isauthentic.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first vehicleperformance data comprises one or more of engine temperature, engineRPM, vehicle velocity, vehicle acceleration, applied brake force,interior vehicle temperature, exterior vehicle temperature, windowdisplacement, exterior vehicle barometric pressure, exhaust pressure,vehicle emissions, turbo blower pressure, turbo charger RPM, and vehicleGPS location.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining,by the data authenticity server, whether the data stream includes a datacode in a predetermined location in the data stream; and responsive todetermining that the data stream includes the data code in thepredetermined location, determining, by the data authenticity server,whether the data code matches an authenticity code.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the predetermined location of the data code is apredetermined periodic location, a predetermined aperiodic location, ora random location.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the data code is acharacter, an integer, a sequence of characters and/or integers, or aFibonacci sequence.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining, by the data authenticity server, whether the data streamincludes a data key in a predetermined location in the data stream; andin response to determining that the data stream includes the data key inthe predetermined location, determining, by the data authenticityserver, whether the data key is a predetermined data type of apredetermined magnitude.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein thepredetermined location of the data key is a predetermined periodiclocation, a predetermined aperiodic location, or a random location. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors of the mobiledevice includes an accelerometer, and wherein the second vehicleperformance data includes data indicating movement of the vehicle sensedby the accelerometer.
 9. A system, comprising: a telematics devicehaving at least a first processor, a first memory, and a firstcommunication interface, wherein the telematics device is configured to:receive a data stream comprising first vehicle performance data of avehicle, wherein the first vehicle performance data is collected duringa first time period; and transmit, to a data authenticity server, thedata stream comprising the first vehicle performance data of thevehicle; a mobile device of a user of the vehicle, the mobile deviceincluding at least a second processor, a second memory and a secondcommunication interface, wherein the mobile device is configured to:receive, from one or more sensors of the mobile device, second vehicleperformance data of the vehicle, wherein the second vehicle performancedata is collected by the one or more sensors during the first timeperiod; record the second vehicle performance data of the vehicle; andtransmit, to the data authenticity server, the second vehicleperformance data of the vehicle; the data authenticity server, includingat least a third processor, a third memory, and a third communicationinterface, wherein the data authenticity server is configured to:receive the first vehicle performance data and the second vehicleperformance data; compare the first vehicle performance data and thesecond vehicle performance data collected during the first time period;determine, based on the comparing, whether the second vehicleperformance data corroborates the first vehicle performance data; andresponsive to determining that the second vehicle performance datacorroborates the first vehicle performance data, determine that thefirst vehicle performance data is authentic.
 10. The system of claim 9,wherein the first vehicle performance data comprises one or more ofengine temperature, engine RPM, vehicle velocity, vehicle acceleration,applied brake force, interior vehicle temperature, exterior vehicletemperature, window displacement, exterior vehicle barometric pressure,exhaust pressure, vehicle emissions, turbo blower pressure, turbocharger RPM, and vehicle GPS location.
 11. The system of claim 10,wherein the data authenticity server is further configured to determinewhether the data stream is authentic by: determining whether the datastream includes a data code in a predetermined location in the datastream; and responsive to determining that the data stream includes thedata code in the predetermined location, determining whether the datacode matches an authenticity code.
 12. The system of claim 11, whereinthe predetermined location of the data code is a predetermined periodiclocation, a predetermined aperiodic location, or a random location. 13.The system of claim 9, wherein the data authenticity server is furtherconfigured to determine whether the data stream is authentic by:determining whether the data stream includes a data key in apredetermined location in the data stream; and responsive to determiningthat the data stream includes the data key in the predeterminedlocation, determining whether the data key is a predetermined data typeof a predetermined magnitude.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein thepredetermined location of the data key is a predetermined periodiclocation, a predetermined aperiodic location, or a random location. 15.The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more sensors of the mobiledevice includes an accelerometer, and wherein the second vehicleperformance data includes data indicating movement of the vehicle sensedby the accelerometer.